Park Chung-hee Foundation Demands Halt to Screenings as Controversy Over 'The Assassin(s)' Escalates

Controversy surrounding the film 'The Assassin(s),' which centers on the 1974 shooting of former first lady Yuk Young-soo, has spread from political circles to an affiliated foundation.

The Park Chung-hee Presidential Memorial Foundation demanded an official apology from the production company and a halt to screenings, claiming that the film distorts historical facts.

In a statement issued today (September 28), the foundation asserted that suspicions raised in the movie do not align with the investigation and trial records of the time.

The foundation first pushed back against claims regarding the number of gunshots heard at the scene.

At the time of the incident, a total of six gunshots were heard, but suspicions have persisted that the truth was concealed due to discrepancies over shell casings found at the scene.

Citing investigation records preserved at the Diplomatic Archives, the foundation stated that Mun Se-gwang loaded five bullets into his revolver.

According to the foundation, the first shot hit Mun's own thigh, the second struck the upper left of the podium, the third misfired, and the fourth hit First Lady Yuk.

The fifth bullet was fired as Mun stumbled, hitting the national flag, while the remaining shot was fired by a security guard, which fatally struck high school student Jang Bong-hwa, the foundation explained.

Based on this, the foundation argued that claims suggesting the truth was covered up because the numbers of gunshots and spent cartridges did not match are inconsistent with official investigation records.

It also refuted the film's premise hinting at the possibility that the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) orchestrated the incident.

The foundation stated that investigation and trial records document how Mun was recruited after meeting an official from Chongryon (the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan) in Osaka, Japan, in 1972, leading him to carry out the August 15 shooting.

It added that allegations claiming the KCIA or then-President Park Chung-hee orchestrated the assassination of the first lady for political purposes risk seriously distorting historical facts.

'The Assassin(s)' follows detectives and journalists investigating the assassination of Yuk Young-soo.

While the film does not definitively conclude that former President Park was behind the incident, it hints through its characters at the possibility that state authorities at the time were involved.

As the controversy over historical distortion continues, the production team explained that the film is not a documentary faithfully replicating historical events, but rather a cinematic work that adds artistic imagination to remaining records and unresolved questions.

Released on September 23, 'The Assassin(s)' drew about 1.4 million viewers during the Chuseok holiday and surpassed a cumulative 1.56 million moviegoers through September 27.

Reported by Kim Min-jeong | Video by MINJI | Design by Lee Jung-joo | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.